The decision regarding the Fractured Stars Guild was made swiftly, following Thamoryn’s assessnt of the recovered mbers.
Once Aiden inford both her and Oberon that their forr captain, Cassian, had been the architect of Dragonhold’s suffering, Oberon did not hesitate.
He ordered the guild’s disbandnt, scattering its mbers among the remaining guilds throughout the kingdom.
Talen, however, was the sole exception.
He now served as Thamoryn’s personal assistant; a position she’d quietly desired for so ti, though she’d never voiced it aloud until the opportunity presented itself.
Katherine standing at the front of Ravens Grave’s main room, surveyed the faces staring back at her.
The room stayed quiet for a beat too long.
Katherine shook her head and sighed. "They are part of this guild now," she continued, her tone leaving no room for argunt. "So everyone better get used to it and make them feel welco."
A few reluctant nods followed.
Then the Captain added, "There’s also one more thing."
She turned her head toward the door leading to her chambers.
"You can co out now, Aeris."
The door opened slowly, and Aeris stepped out into the main room wearing the female Ravens Grave uniform.
"The reaction was a complete contrast to earlier."
Every head turned toward her.
The n especially stared for a mont longer than they probably should have, and the uniform’s short skirt didn’t make it easy to look away.
Aeris’ cheeks flushed red almost instantly as she beca acutely aware of every pair of eyes on her.
She tugged at the hem of the skirt nervously and looked toward Katherine with a pleading expression.
"Captain," Aeris said quietly, with her voice tinged with embarrassnt. "Are you certain there aren’t any other uniforms? Maybe... longer ones?"
Katherine waved one hand dismissively, with a sly grin on her face.
"Nonsense!" she said. "You look perfect this way."
Aeris’ face went even redder.
She lowered her gaze and walked slowly toward where Ambrose and Alia stood behind the captain, still tugging self-consciously at her skirt.
When she reached them, she glanced up briefly and gave a shy, awkward wave.
Alia had no visible reaction and Ambrose wasn’t sure if he was to wave back or not so he simply just nodded.
There were a few of the mbers of the guild mbers now.
Aeris had planned to leave Dragonhold the night before, after hearing of Lucina’s and Herxes’s deaths. She could not shake the feeling that so of it was her fault, that she was drawing gods toward them and putting everyone in danger.
That was until Katherine stopped her and made her an offer to join the guild. She told Aeris that even if that were true, Aiden had only done what any mber of Ravens Grave would have done if they held the sa power.
In Ravens Grave, they looked after their own.
That was their one undeniable rule.
Katherine turned back to face all three of them now. Ambrose, Alia, and Aeris straightened her posture as she prepared to deliver her usual speech.
"Right then," Katherine began. "This is Ravens Grave, and in here, we are a family."
She paused, letting that sentence settle in.
"As part of this family, you fight for each other. You trust each other. You bleed for each other if you have to."
Her gaze moved between the three newcors.
"I don’t care where you ca from or what you did before you walked through that door. From this mont forward, you’re one of us."
They all nodded at the captain.
Katherine smiled faintly and stepped aside.
"Good. Now my new darlings, you may join the others."
———
anwhile, Aiden sat inside his Pocket Domain with Laela and Arianna beside him.
They had been there for the better part of the morning.
Arianna had been introduced to the demon lady much earlier, and now both she and Laela were debating on what na to call her.
Aiden leaned against one of the raised rock platforms watching quietly. His avatar stood off to the side, equally silent, and the demon lady sat on the ground between the two won, with her eyes moving back and forth like soone watching a tennis match.
"What about Nola?" Laela suggested, tilting her head thoughtfully.
Arianna shook her head imdiately. "Sounds like a boy’s na."
Laela frowned. "Nola is not boyish."
After a couple more back and forth about the na, Laela threw her hands up in exasperation and said, "Then you suggest sothing"
Arianna tapped one finger against her chin thoughtfully. "Hmm... what about Gria?"
Laela tilted her head, considering it, then shook her head. "It sounds like soone’s pet."
Arianna gasped. "It does not!"
"It does."
They went back and forth like this for several more minutes, each na being shot down for one reason or another while Aiden watched with growing amusent.
Finally, he spoke up.
"What about Rin?"
Both won stopped mid-sentence and turned toward him.
There was this silence between them for a mont.
Then Laela looked at Arianna.
Arianna looked at Laela.
They both looked back at Aiden and said in unison: "That works."
The demon lady’s eyes widened slightly, as if surprised that they’d finally agreed on sothing.
Laela smiled and crouched down beside her. "Rin," she said softly, testing the na aloud. "I like it."
Arianna nodded. "It’s simple but pretty."
Arianna glanced back at Aiden. "How did you co up with that na?" she asked.
Aiden had this wistful smile. Then he took one breath in and finally spoke.
"Right before I was brought to the palace for the first ti, "I used to live with my mother in the regular part of town."
Both won listened quietly as he continued.
"Our neighbor had a daughter nad Rin," Aiden said. "We grew up together. Best friends, really. We’d run through the streets, get into trouble, share whatever food we could find."
He paused for a mont.
"When I grew up, around fourteen or so, I went back there to find her," he continued. "But they were gone. Her whole family had left the city. No one knew where."
Arianna’s expression softened with sadness.
Laela hesitated a bit before speaking. "This is the first ti you’ve talked about your birth mother," she said.
Aiden glanced at her briefly before looking away again.
"What about her?" Laela asked. "Your mother?"
Aiden scoffed lightly. "I don’t know," he said.
"I rember that after I was taken from her to the palace, I ran back ho two days later. She looked at like I was a stranger standing at her door."
He paused.
"She told , her exact words were ’Do not ever co back here. You’re not my son from today henceforth.’ Then she sent on my way."
They both looked saddened by it.
Even Rin, sitting quietly between them, looked strangely sad for him as well.
Aiden continued.
"When I returned to that place years later to find Rin, part of wanted to get a peek of my mother too."
He shook his head slightly.
"But she was gone as well. So of the other neighbors said she was too afraid of what Helena might do if she ever found her. So my mother left not long after I was taken."
Laela took his hand gently in hers.
"What about now?" she asked softly.
"Helena’s no longer soone you have to deal with or worry about in that way anymore. Don’t you want to at least... have a parent?"
Aiden laughed and shook his head.
"I’m a dragon," he said. "One who has to deal with the fate of the universe itself."
Then t Laela’s eyes directly.
"And sohow I should spare ti to find a woman who left of her own accord?"
He scoffed again and waved one hand dismissively. "Stuff like that doesn’t bother ."
Both won looked at him for another long mont before nodding slowly in understanding.
They didn’t press further.
Instead, both of them now turned back towards Rin, and each of them took one of her hands, looking at her with warm smiles on their faces.
"From today," Arianna said, "your na is Rin."
Rin with a smile on her face nodded without really saying anything further.
Then Laela added, "But the real question is, how long is she supposed to be here?"
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